Henry Valentine Knaggs
Encyclopedia
Henry Valentine Knaggs was an English
doctor
and author
who was a notable practitioner of nature cure methods (now called Naturopathic medicine
).
, and there is no evidence that he was ever baptised.
but he obtained his LSA in 1881 after studying at University College
. He was awarded his MRCS
and his LM in the same year and also an LRCP from the University of Edinburgh
. In 1889 he is recorded as being a Fellow of the Zoological Society.
) 1929 in Witney
), and Nora (born 1902, who married John B. Maxwell 1929 in Hatfield
).
and literary work of various kinds.
Even late in his life he continued in practice, in his 80s seeing patients in London's West End during The Blitz
, "for which he had a nonchalant disregard".
In 1954 he was living in 80 Leigh Gardens, Kensal Rise, London.
. They are mostly on various aspects of personal health
and diet
, and have been described as "mostly harmless." Examples are "Rheumatism and Allied Ailments," "The Cleansing Saline Fast," "The Misunderstood Microbe", "How to Prevent Cancer" and "Potatoes as Food and Medicine" (the last one still in print).
. He is reported as saying that during the last fifty years as a physician he never prescribed a single drug. He preferred raw foods to cooked ones, and plain water to milk and beverages such as tea and coffee. He was an advocate of exercise and shunned alcohol.
, he stipulated that his body was to be cremated, the ashes to be scattered, and that there should be no flowers, tombstone or other memorial. He left his furniture and personal effects to his "friend" Mrs Lily Colburn (who shared his address), and the rest of his estate to be divided equally between his wife (who died in 1962) and this "friend."
The Times obituary described him as "a man of great physical courage" who "had the gift of making little fuss aout the details of life". Saying that he had lived to see many of his originally controversial views on diet and hygiene generally accepted, it concluded that "his loss will be deeply regretted by the thousands to whom his name is a household word".
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who was a notable practitioner of nature cure methods (now called Naturopathic medicine
Naturopathic medicine
Naturopathy, or Naturopathic Medicine, is a form of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, growth, and adaptation...
).
Early life
He was the second son of Henry Guard Knaggs and Ellen Mares. He was born on February 14, 1859 (St Valentine's Day) in St PancrasSt Pancras
-Saints:* Pancras of Taormina, martyred in 40 AD in Sicily* Pancras of Rome, the saint martyred c.304 AD after whom the following are directly or indirectly named-United Kingdom:* St Pancras, London, a district of London...
, and there is no evidence that he was ever baptised.
Education
Like his father and grandfather before him, he embarked on a medical career. There is no evidence of an apprenticeshipApprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
but he obtained his LSA in 1881 after studying at University College
University College
University College can refer to several institutions:- Canada :* University College, University of Toronto* University College of the North, The Pas, Manitoba* Booth University College, Winnipeg, Manitoba...
. He was awarded his MRCS
Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
and his LM in the same year and also an LRCP from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. In 1889 he is recorded as being a Fellow of the Zoological Society.
A physician
He worked in the service of the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company from 1883 to 1886 presumably on their liners. In 1889 he was resident surgeon at Boscombe Infirmary but his address, from 1883 until 1912 was 189 Camden Road, London NW where he was in general practice as a doctor.Family
He married Mabel Emily Stow on 24 June 1897 at St Paul’s Church, St Pancras - Mabel’s father James was just described as "gentleman" on the marriage certificate. They had two daughters - Dulcie (born 1901, who married George Menzies Trevor Lambrick (an officer in the Indian ArmyIndian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
) 1929 in Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
), and Nora (born 1902, who married John B. Maxwell 1929 in Hatfield
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
).
20th century
The 1913 Medical Who's Who gives Knaggs' addresses as 41 Welbeck Street and Combe Edge, Langley Park, Mill Hill. In 1914 he was living at 41 Queen Anne Street, then, to 1921 (and probably later) he was practising from the up-market address of 25 Wimpole Street, but he was living at "Arbor", Kings Langley in rural Hertfordshire. His specialities were listed as electro-therapeutics, dietetics and haematology, and his recreations as athleticsAthletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
and literary work of various kinds.
Even late in his life he continued in practice, in his 80s seeing patients in London's West End during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
, "for which he had a nonchalant disregard".
In 1954 he was living in 80 Leigh Gardens, Kensal Rise, London.
His publications
Knaggs was a prolific author. Among his more professional works are "On the Treatment of Diphtheria by Frequent Small Doses of Sulphur," "On the Treatment of Gout by Salicylate of Potash" and the like. But by far the more numerous are his books and pamphlets for the general publicGeneral Public
General Public were a band formed by The Beat vocalists, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, and which included former members of Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Specials and The Clash...
. They are mostly on various aspects of personal health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, and have been described as "mostly harmless." Examples are "Rheumatism and Allied Ailments," "The Cleansing Saline Fast," "The Misunderstood Microbe", "How to Prevent Cancer" and "Potatoes as Food and Medicine" (the last one still in print).
His ideas
He was a teetotaling vegetarian, an early advocate of nature cures, and a long time member of the National Anti-Vaccination LeagueNational Anti-Vaccination League
The National Anti-Vaccination League was founded in 1896 in Britain, growing from earlier smaller organisations in London, originally under the title Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League. The organisation opposed compulsory vaccination, particularly against smallpox...
. He is reported as saying that during the last fifty years as a physician he never prescribed a single drug. He preferred raw foods to cooked ones, and plain water to milk and beverages such as tea and coffee. He was an advocate of exercise and shunned alcohol.
His death
He died at the age of 95, on 11 July 1954. In his willWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
, he stipulated that his body was to be cremated, the ashes to be scattered, and that there should be no flowers, tombstone or other memorial. He left his furniture and personal effects to his "friend" Mrs Lily Colburn (who shared his address), and the rest of his estate to be divided equally between his wife (who died in 1962) and this "friend."
The Times obituary described him as "a man of great physical courage" who "had the gift of making little fuss aout the details of life". Saying that he had lived to see many of his originally controversial views on diet and hygiene generally accepted, it concluded that "his loss will be deeply regretted by the thousands to whom his name is a household word".